Apparatus for handling materials



E. HL MCCONNELL.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING MATERIALS.

APPLICATION man JUNE 9,1920.

Patented Feb. 21,

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

E. H jyf'onnell,

ATTORNEYS LH.4 MCCQNNELL. APPARATUS F'R HANDLING MATERIALS. PPLICATIOII FILED 'IUE 9| 19,20.

1 ,407,333, Patented Feb. 2l, 1922h 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 -A TTURNE V8 3% I' Mai.

F. H. MCCONNELL. APPARATUS FUR HANDLING MATERIALS.

APPLlcATIoN FILED :une 9, 192'0.

Patented Feb. 2,1, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- /N VE N T03 awww,

WITNESSES 777. v

Afro/mns EDWARD HERBERT MGCON'NELL, 0F RONOKE, VIRGINIA.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING MATERIALS.

Lacasse.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

VBe it known that I, EDWARDv HERBERT McCoNNnLL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Roanoke, in the county of Roanoke and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Handling Materials, of

' which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to vapparatus for handling materials of various characters', and particularly, although not necessarily, to the handling of sand, cement, stone and like materials used in the making of concrete. Y

A purpose of my invention is the provision of an apparatus of the above described character which facilitates the handling of materials in large quantities, it being operable to discharge predetermined quantities of material from a bin at a plurality of points to allow of the simultaneous filling of a plurality of receptacles. Y

It is alsof a purpose of my invention to provide a. material handling apparatus which eifects the simultaneous discharge, 1n predetermined quantities, of a plurality of materials of different characters from a plurality of bins into a mixing device, whereby, the several steps and handsusually necessary in the handling and measuring of materials in the making of concrete or the like is eliminated.

I will describe two forms of material handling apparatus embodying my invention and will then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a viewshowing in vertical section and partlyfin elevation one form of apparatus embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional viev.r taken on the lineA 2 2 of Figure 1. l

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure .2.

Figure 4 is a view showing in end eleva tion a conventional form of mixing device having associated -therewith another form of material handling apparatus embodying my invention, with the apparatus shown in vertical section.

V Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in each of the several views.

I Specification of Letters Patent. Patnted Fal 21, 1922. i Application mea June 9,

1920. Serial No. 387,731.

Referring specifically to the drawings and particularlyto F Lgure 1, B designates a bin formed at intervals at its bottom sideV with discharge openings 15., the walls of which may be provided without departing from the spirit of the invention. Interposed between a portion of the flanges 16 and the upper end of a corresponding hopper I-I are angle-bars 18 upon which are supported forl sliding movement a pair of shutters S and S', each of which is adapted to move through suitable openings provided between the flanges 16 tnd the h pper H as shown in Figures 1 an( 3. I

The shutters S and S of 'any one hopper H are' capable of being moved youtwardly in opposite directions to occupy an open position, and inwardly toward each other to occupy a closed position. In the present instance, the moving of the shutters of all of the hoppers H to kopen and closed position is effected simultaneously, and to this endy I provide the following mechanism: Secured tSo the under sides of each pair of shutters spectively, which are `screw threaded interiorly with the screw threads of one ear being reversely disposed with respect to the threads of the other` ear. Extending through and engaging the sleeves 19 and 19a are worms 20 and 20 which are formed Y on the confronting ends of a pair of. shafts T. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the worms 20 and 2OEL of y sleeves 19 and 19a of adjacent shutters S and S so that any-one shaft is capable of simultaneously operating the shutter S of one pair and the shutter S of an adjacent pair. As shown in Figure 1all of the shafts T are disposed in longitudinal alineany one shaft 'I .engage the loo' ment, each shaft being journaled in suitable bearings formed on the lower ends of standards 2l secured to and'depending from the lower side of the hin B. All or the shafts T are adapted to operate simultaneously to one direction ory the other by means ot a driving shalt l) journaledin bearings and `operatively connected to each ot the shafts T by means of sprockets 225 andl fixed to the shafts T and D respectively and about which are trained chains 95A The shalt l) in turn is adapted to be rotated in either direction by a train of gearing` G which as shown in Figure l is supported beneath the hoppers and bin and operatively connected to the shaft by chain and sprocket connection generally indicated at Q6. In the present instance l have shown the gearing Gr operated by a cranlf` 27, it is to be understood, however, that motor operatedineans may be employed for actuating the same.

As shown in Figure l., the discharge .ends ot 'the hoppers l-l are controlled by d oors lll, two for each oit the hoppers. Each pair oi' doors R are hingcdly supported at their outer edges upon the corresponding hopper as indicated at 28 and in such manner as to permit the downward swinging movement to the position shown in dash lines in Figure l. The doors R when in closed position are adapted to completely span the lower end or discharge end of the hopper H so as to prevent Athe discharge oli material therefrom. The doors are normally Yheld in closedy position by means of cables 29 secured to the upper sides of the doors and tra-ined about a shaft A whichextends through all of the several hoppers ll in the manner shown. As a result of this arrangement, it will be clear that the shaft A. serves to maintain the vdoors of all of the hoppers in closed position, it being understood that when the shaft A is released the doors will gravititc to open position. against rotation in such direction as to permit the unwinding of thecables 29, T pra vide a pa-wl and ratchet Vmeans generally indicated at 30 and 3l designates a Vcrank i'or actuating` the sha'rt A, although it is to be understood that motor operated means may be provided.

K In the'operation ol the apparatus the bin E 'and the hoppers l-l are adapted to he supported in elevated position so to permit the passage of carsbeneath the dischage end of the hoppers as indicated in dash lines in Figure il and vto thus disp se the car bodies or batch boxes directly vbeneath the hoppers. `With the cars disposed in this position, the shutters S and the doors l operated in the following manner to c the illing of the cars with a predetermii ed quantity oi material from the bin B. ln the closed ,position or the shutters 55 as l shown in Figures l and 2, material within the bin B To lock the shaft fr is of course checked against discharging into the hopper. However, when the shut-- ters are moved to open position the material is then tree to gravitate into and to completely fill the hoppers. he movement ol the shutters S to open position is secured in the :following manner: Upon rotation of the crank 27 in the proper direction, rotation of all of the shafts T is simultaneously et'- iiected to cause the worms 20 and 20 to feed the sleeves 19 Iandllft toward each other thereby drawing the shutters S and S ot an adjacentY pair of shutters toward each other so that they no longer occupy spanE ning positions .with relation to the illing end of the hoppers.

The hoppers .having been filled with raaterial :from the bin B, the shutters S are now returneo to closed position, this movement lbeing effected by rotating the crank 27 in a direction opposite to the direction in which it is rotated when opening ythe shutters fi whereby, a rotation of all of the shafts T is eiected and in such direction to cause adjacent sleeves 19 and 19a to move outwardly in opposite directions, thusrrnoving the shutters to closed position. Tt will be l understood that when the shutters S are moving to closed position they penetrate the material within the discharge openings l5 of the bin so that when they have finally reached the completely closed position the passage of the material from the mouths into the hopper is discontinued. l/V ith all olf the hoppers now completely filled with material, it will be clear that'bv releasing the pawl oi the pawl and ratchet mechanism 30 the weight of the material within the hoppers will cause the doors R to gravitate to open position `thereby allowing a discharge of the material from the hoppers and into the cars arranged therebeneath.

As will be understood, a secondfilling of the hoppers with material and a dischargingroithe saine therefrom can be effected by a repetition oi the operation just described, wheret'or, it will be seen that'each timethe doors are opened a vpredetermined quantity oit material is discharged from `the hin B. This result is of a special advantage Vwhen it is desired to lill cars orother receptacles with materials ot predetermined quantities to secure the proper proportions oi any lonel material or a Vplurality of A'materials inthe making oli concrete vand the like. v

Referring now to Figure 1i, l have here shown a material handling apparatus which is particularly designed for the handling orn the necessary materials inethe making of concrete. r-is here shown, -ll provide three bins `designated at B', B2 an-d B3. These bins are formed from a single receptacle which is divided Ainto three compartments by means 'oit 4par'ti-tions ythe partitions v3% and the walls or the receptacle being inclined toward a common point to effect the gravitation of the materials contained within the bins to the lower ends thereof. Communicating with the discharge ends of the bins B', B2 and B3 are hoppers H', H2 and H, respectively, such hoppers being formed by extending the walls'of the receptacle and inserting partitions at suitable points within the bins. The passage of the materials from all of the bins into all of the hoppersvis simultaneously controlled by a pair of shutters S2 and S3 which are interposed between the hoppers and bins in the manner shown and are moved to open or closed positions by worms engaging sleeves 19 in a manner similar tothe worms and sleeves for actuating the shutters S and S. In the present instance, I have shown the shafts T upon which the worms are 'formed actuated by cranks 34, it being understood, however, that mechanism similar to the mechanism employed in the first form of apparatus can be equally well adapted to the present apparatus.

The passage of material from t-he several hoppers H', H2 and H3 is controlled by a pair of doors R which are hingedly supported Vas at 28 to swing downwardly -in a manner identical to the doors R. Similarly, the doors R are held in closed position by means of a shaft A about which is trained cables 29a connected to the doors adjacent their confronting edges. shaft A is actuated by a crank 85.

In the present instance, I have shown the second form of apparatus supported in elevated position within an excavation by means of pillars E, the position of the apparatus being suoli that the upper ends of the bins are disposed on the level of a street so that the several materials necessary in making the concrete can be readily deposited within their respective bins, and ultimately deposited into the concrete mixer M disposed below the hoppers, It will be undei-stood that after a mixing of the material has been effected by the miXer M, the concrete as discharged from the miXer 'can be elevated by other mechanism (not shown) to the desired point.

Although I have herein shown and described only two forms of material handling apparatus embodying my invention, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the spirit of the invention and the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

`What I claim is:

l. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a bin, a plurality of hoppers depending from and communicating with the bin, a pair of shutters in each of the hoppers adapted when closed to span the hopper at the filling end thereof, doors controlling the The' Ydischarge end'of each hopper, Vmeans for simultaneously actuating the shutters for all of the hoppers, and means for simultaneously actuating the doors for all ofthe hoppers.

2. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a'bin, a plurality of hoppers. depending from and communicating at different points with the bin, a pair of slidaloleV f shutters interposed between each hopper and the bin, screw threaded sleeves formed on each of the shutters with the threads of one sleeve being reversely disposed with respect to the threads of the other sleeve, a shaft between adjacent hoppers connecting` the sleeve of one pair of shutters with the adjacent sleeve of an vadjacent pair of shutters, re-v versely threaded worms formed on said' bin, a pair of shutters for each of the hoppers adapted to span the filling end of the hoppers, a pair of doors controlling the'discharge end of each hopper, said doors being hingedly supported so as to normally occupy open positions, means for holding the doors of all of said hoppers in closed position comprising, a shaft, cables trained about said shaft and connected to said doors, means for locking said shaft against rotation in such direction as'to allow the unwinding of said cables, and means for simultaneously actuating` the shutters for all of the hoppers.

t. In an apparatus of the character described, a hopper, a pair of slidable shutters controlling the upper end vof said hopper,

screw threaded means for moving said shutters to open and closed position, doors hingedly supported'upon the lower end of said hopper and controlling the lower end thereof, and means for holding said doors in closed position.

5. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a bin, a plurality of hoppers depending from and communicating at diferent points with the bin, a pair of slidable shutters interposed between each hopper and' the bin, screw threaded sleeves formed on each of the shutters with the threads of one sleeve being reversely disposed with respect to the threads of the other sleeve, a shaft between adjacent hoppers connecting the sleeve of one pair of shutters with the adJacentf sleeve of an adjacent pair of shutters, re

versely threaded worms formed on said shaft, and means for simultaneously rotating all of said shafts in one direction or the other comprising, a main shaft, chain and sprocket connections'between said shafts and the main shaft, a train of gearing operatively connected to said main shaft, and means for actuating said gearing; l

iso

6. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a'plurality of bins having the Walls therein inclined to eeo the gravitaf tion oi: u material within the bins *no the lower ends llieieoii, a plurality of lioppers one for each o'i the bins communicating with the discharge ends of sind bins, a pair ofV Lemmi `sldzible shutters ntelposecl between said hoppei'savnd bins, screw lneaded means for actuating said shutters to open and closed positions, and a pair 01 doors Contlollng .the discharge ends of seid hoppes and supf ported to normally occupy open positions.

EBWARB HEREERT E'cCP-lNELL. 

